Method and apparatus for havesting strawberry plants



July 13, 1965 G. E. VAUTIN 3,194,317

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HARVESTING STRAWBERRY PLANTS Filed 001;. 22, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ra I I I I z INVENTOR.

N1 GEORGE E. VAUTIN 0w, MM M ATTORNEY y 1965 G; E. VAUTlN 3 94,317

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HARVESTING STRAWBERRY PLANTS Filed Oct. 22, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR GEORGE E. VAUTlN 0ma/M'MM ATTORNEY July 13, 1965 G. E. VAUTIN 3,194,317

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HARVESTING STRAWBERRY PLANTS Filed 000.- 22, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VENTOR GEORGE E. VAUTlN ATTORNEY July 13, 1965 G. E. VAUTIN 3,194,317

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HARVESTING STRAWBERRY PLANTS Filed Oct. 22. 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. GEORGE E. VAUTIN ATTORNEY United States Patent 9 3,194,317 METHOD AND APPARATUS FGR HAVESTENG STRAWBERRY PLANTS George E. Vautin, Modesto, Calih, assignor to Vautiu- Hyde (10., Watsonville, Calif., a corporation of California File-d Get. 22, 1962, filer. No. ZSLQFQ 8 Claims. (Cl. 17L-1) This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for harvesting strawberry plants.

Strawberry plants are grown as clones. The farmer growing them for their berries plants the clones in the well-known manner and picks the berries from time to time. The present invention relates, however, to the harvesting of the strawberry plants by the nursery which sells the plants to the farmers.

Heretofore the harvesting of the strawberry plants has been a time-consuming operation with a great deal of hand labor. The plants themselves are reproduced vegetatively by runners, so that what are called mother plants send out runners that root and form what are known as daughter plants. The harvesting of the plants requires the severing of the daughter plants from the mother plants, the mother plants being discarded, and the suitably-sized daughter plants sold. It involves digging of the plants out of the ground, freeing the roots from the soil (so that the nursery does not have the expense of shipping large amounts of soil), trimming off the leaves above the crown, and culling out the mother plants and the daughter plants that are too small to be sold.

Apparatus already known can be used to dig the strawberry plants and sever the mother plants from the daughter plants. However, no known apparatus can mechanically handle the plants from that stage: orienting the daughter plants and cutting off their leaves above the crown. Heretofore this has been done only by hand with a worker bunching together a few daughter plants and then cutting them 011?, and it has taken a great deal of time. The present invention solves the problem of orienting the strawberry plant properly, of assuring a cut, and of doing this mechanically with a very minimum of hand labor.

Thus, an important object of the invention is to enable the mechanical harvesting of strawberry plants, including all the steps of digging, shaking off of the dirt, severing of the daughter plants from the mother plant, trimming off of the leaves, separating the plants according to size of crown, and finally packing and bunching.

Other objects and advantages of the invention Will appear from the following description of a preferred form of apparatus.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a strawberry plant harvester embodying the principles of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of the same, with a portion broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the rear portion of the machine.

FIG. 4 is a View in side elevation of the rear portion of the machine.

FIG. 5 is a view in section taken along the line 55 with some of the guide belts that lie therebelow shown in phantom.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of a modified form of end portion of the invention.

The strawberry harvester shown in the accompanying drawings incorporates a digger A, a lifting conveyor B, a runner cutting device C, an orienting device D, an aligning device E, and a trimming device F. It also preferably incorporates a separating apparatus G.

The digging apparatus A is substantially the same as a conventional potato digger and a suitable potato digger with such modifications as may be desirable may be used. The litter B is also similar to that in a potato digger and serves the function principally of lifting the strawberry plants above the ground after they have been dug, some of the dirt dropping off during this movement. The plants are then conveyed to the cutter C. This device consists of a series of drums 20 mounted on shafts 21 with a series of blunt blades 22 extending out radially from the drum 20 in a radial plane beyond the drum and spaced axially along the drum 2% and spaced radially or circumferentially from each other. Successive drums 20 are so made that the blades 22 do not touch each other but lie fairly closely adjacent so that the vines can be somewhat torn apart. The drums 20 all rotate in the same direction, i.e., uphill to elevate the plants, but the successive interlocking and action of the blades 22 serves to cut the vines apart quite efliciently as they move up the device C. Thus, the mother plants are separated from the daughter plants during this stage of the operation, and the dirt is also shaken off, so that when they arrive at the top of the apparatus, the cutting and shaking has separated the strawberry plants into individual plants and has shaken the dirt off from their roots. However, at this stage the roots and tops are rather indiscriminately mixed together and it is difiicult to say which ones will be at the top and which at the bottom.

Therefore, the orientation apparatus D is used to assure orientation of each strawberry plant so that the leaves are at the top and the roots are at the bottom as they are delivered to the aligning apparatus. The orienting apparatus preferably comprises a set of suction devices 25 having an accompanying conveyor 26. Each suction device 25 is provided with a suitable current of air and exhausts to a desired degree of vacuum. Preferably it includes a spring-loaded valve 27 which, when a desired amount of vacuum is reached, opens to admit air so as to prevent the vacuum from exceeding the predetermined amount. This means that the variation natural due to the bunching of plants will not alfect the efliciency of the apparatus. I have found that a suction apparatus of this type invariably will orient the plants by attracting and holding the leaves while having no effect whatever upon the roots. The plants are sucked by the leaves and therefore the leaves are at the top and the roots are at the bottom. Even if one were to hold the plant upside down, the suction apparatus 25 would not hold on to the roots, so that all that needs to be done is to assure that the plants will be brought to the suction device 25 in such a way that leaves will be Within the suction stream, and they will be sucked up against a conveying device 23.

The conveying device 28 may comprise a moving screen or perforated belt, moving the strawberry plants H in the desired direction between the cutting device C and the aligning device B.

As the plants H move along the device D, they are moving in an upright position, the roots I hanging down, the leaves L at the top, and the crown K between the leaves L and the roots J. The next step in the device is to align the plants H so that the crowns K will always be at a set height, in order that the cutting may be done at the desired height above the crown K. Some plants H will have very long stems M going to the leaves L and some plants H will have very short stems M. This has little or nothing to do with the root development or with the state of the plant, but simply is individual variation due to many factors.

In order to produce the desired alignment with the crown at the proper position, I provide the device E which includes two pairs of moving belts. Each pair of moving belts is composed of two parallel belts moving inthe same direction and located side by side very close to each other, so as to clamp the plant H by its stems M and carry it through. Thus, upperv belts 31, 32 have an entrance 33 under the suction device 25' andrelatively close to them so that theygrasp'the plant by the upper end .of the stems M closely adjacent to the leaves L;

Thus, the plant H is movedinto the belts 31,32 by the suction apparatus, being guided there by suitable guide portions 34 of the belts run, and upon arrival at the belts 31, 32,1the stem M moves in between thebelts 31,

32 and is clamped between them. The belts 31', 32 are this point, the belts 31, 32 and 41, 42 diverge, the lower belts 41, 42 preferably keeping a substantially level'course, while the upper belts 31, 32 preferably move upwardly,

pulling the stems. M up until the bulge at the crown K comes up against the lower side of the lower belts 41, 42 and prevents further pulling. During the initial part of this divergent movement, the upper. belts 31', 32'i'are made with their spring-yielding members 35-to be 'in greater tension than those of the lower belts, *and during the latter part of the lower belts 41, 42 are made tobe urged under greater tension than the upper belts 31,32

solthat the, tension on the upper belts 31, 32 gradually relaxes while the tension on the lower belts gradually increases, both increases and decreases being stepwise. by

virtue of the separate yieldable spring members 35 along the way. Then the run of the upper belts 31, 32 stops at such a point 36 as will assurethe plants H all being carried by the lower belts 41, 42 all at a height where the crown K issubstantially snug against the lower belts ,7 41, 42.: If this happens before the end 36 of the upper belts 31, 32 is'reached, the release of the tension enables the stems and leavesto be pulled 31, 32. I I

Preferably, the lower belts 41, 42 move :faster than the upper belts 31, 32 to make sure that all plants are pulled up to the crown K even if the belt divergence is less th'an the greatest stem length.

N The lower belts 41, 42then move on toward the trimming device F. Preferably, this. comprises a' band saw- 50, and if there are three pairs of lower belts 41, 42, a

single band saw will still sufliceto cut the plants carried by all of them. The band 'saw Stlislocated fairly closely adjacent the upper edge of the lower belts 41, 42

and the. cut is then made a short distance above the crown, a distance approximately equal to the height of the lower belts 41, 42. This completes the step of trim- .ming 011 the plants.

After trimming, in one'fo'rm of theinvention (FIG. 6), a new pair of belts 51 engage the crown for better sizing. These .belts 51 move at different'speeds from.

eachother and rotate the, crown K. Additional trim ming saws 52may be provided after the rotation, if desired. I

It will be appreciated that the plants with a larger crown will cause more retraction by springs 43 that urge the lower belts 41, 42 together, and this fact can be used to. separate the plants from each other. :At a suitable through the upper: belts tance, and the very: small plants will move. them very little.v This can be used to grade the plants. intotwo or three. streams. Thus, the springs when .urged 'out by mother plants, cau'sing.a wide ,diversion,,can be used to. actuate a switch 57 thatenergizes a time-delay relayf58 for actu ating. a release mechanismbeyondfthe trimmer 50 which causes the mother: plants to drop outat that station, .the 1 belts being opened-by a solenoid sending a .wedge56 in between the belts 41, 42 orsome otherv suitable means:

The. mother plants are then droppedout, as into a bin 653, to be disposed of. as desired. The imediumsized plant, whichare the desired ones,.can; also. be made to drop out at a different station, as into a bin'"61, by the Finally," the smalliplants can :be carried to; the end of the belts 41 ,?42' and be disposed of there. Of, if desired, all but-the :mother plants'can; be carried to the end of the line, for the separation is'a:

same general means.

relatively easy one there. a a

An important featuregof this invention'zis .thetact that the strawberry plants are handled :veryquickly and are kept fresh. The time elapsed between'therdigging and the packing into boxes isbuta few moments, in

the nature ofaminute, .or at the'most,say five minutes;

whereas inpresent practice itis. quite common for. several hours to elapse, so thatgthe. plants are not freshwhen;

packed This means that plants harvested; by-j this invention'canbe packed into boxes muchfquicker: and, can be refrigerated, treated,jor shipped rnuchquicker and therefore can be. kept in afresh state much more suitable to standing theshockof transplanting thanis thicase 1 in theconventional practice. They; may be=packeddi.-- rectly into boxes from the belt, either-by hand or. by e a suitable mechanical packing ,apparatus;

To those skilled inithe art to which'this' inventionre lates, many changes in construction and .widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will sug-j. gest themselves. WithOllt. departing :from the spirit. and

scope of the inventions. The disclosures andithe vdescription herein arepurely illustrative .and aregnot intended to be in any sense limiting. I claimz'y 1.LA method'for harvestingstrawberry u plants comprisingthe. successive steps of:

diggingout the strawberry plants, andysevering the" runners that 1 connect ,mother plants to' daughter plants,

orientingthe plants to' an; upright positionandputting them in a line,

elevating each plant in .the Eline until its crown is at.

a predetermined heighteandthen cutting said plant just above said crown..

2. A method 1 for harvesting strawberry;plants.com- Q prising thesuccessivesteps'of:

station along the lower belts 41, 42 at a time when the crowns K are snug against them, the belts may move the plants H between a couple of spring loadedmembers 53, 54 which yield in varying amounts according to the thickness of the :crown. Thus, the. motherplants will move the'springs a relatively large distance while the daughter plants. will move them a much smaller dis v digging; out the strawberry plants,-.

severing the runnersthat .connect1someplants to other:

subjecting the. plants to, an upwardly-moving suction: so as to raise .each.'plant.by its leavesintolan up right position, 1. 1 elevating each plant until mined height, andgthen cutting. said iplant zjustabove said :crown 3." The method er claim I 2".followed sizing said I plants into. mother and daughter. plants.

prising the successive steps ofts digging out the .strawberryxplantsp 4. Amethod for harvesting-strawberry ;plantscom severing the runners-that connectsome plants tofother: I

plants,;

subjecting .thet pla'nts: togan. upwardl'ymoving suction current so as to raise. each plant by itssle'aves'into an upright position, arranging :the upright plants in a moving line, 7 V

. elevating each plant: in. thefline .by its leavesruntil,-its

crown is at a predetermined fheighflandv then its crown is, at. a predeter-f.

sawing off said plant just above said crown as it passes a predetermined point.

5. The method of claim 4, in which the moving line of sawed-off plants is sorted as it moves, by size, into mother and daughter plants.

6. A method for harvesting strawberry plants comprising the successive steps of:

digging out the strawberry plants,

severing the runners that connect some plants to other plants,

subjecting the plants to an upwardly-moving suction so as to raise each plant by its leaves into an upright position,

seizing each plant by its stern adjacent its leaves and moving it in a single file line,

seizing each said plant by its stem a spaced distance below its leaves,

moving the points of seizure apart as the line of plants moves until the crown of each plant lies substantially at the lower point of seizure, and

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,256,713 2/18 Matheson 171-37 2,197,225 4/40 Pierson 171--42 XR 2,553,519 5/51 Lenz 17117 2,581,661 1/52 Hume 171-1 2,833,358 5/58 Lust 17137 2,940,528 6/60 Magnuson 171--1 2,943,430 7/60 Carruthers 5619 X T. GRAHAM CRAVER, Primary Examiner.

ANTONIO F. GUIDA, Examiner. 

1. A METHOD FOR HARVESTING STRAWBERRY PLANTS COMPRISING THE SUCCESSIVE STEPS OF: DIGGING OUT THE STRAWBERRY PLANT AND SEVERING THE RUNNERS THAT CONNECT MOTHER PLANTS TO DAUGHTER PLANTS, ORIENTING THE PLANT TO AN UPRIGHT POSITION AND PUTTING THEM IN A LINE, ELEVATING EACH PLANT IN THE LINE UNTIL ITS CROWN IS AT A PREDETERMINED HEIGHT, AND THEN CUTTING SAID PLANT JUST ABOVE SAID CROWN. 